The purpose of this blog is to provide an open forum for discussion of the aims of the society; news from the wider Church and details of Masses and events of interest in the diocese. The Latin Mass Society in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough expresses its full filial devotion and loyalty to Holy Mother Church, Pope Francis and Bishop Drainey.

23 September 2011

There will be no evening Mass at the Church of the English Martyrs in York this Sunday, 25th September. Please pass this information on to anyone that you think may be thinking of attending.
Information about when Masses will resume in York will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

14 September 2011

Today, 14th September, is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a feasst day that appeals greatly to me, because of the importance of the Holy Cross to the whole concept of Christianity. It also appeals to me, because it is the anniversary of the coming into force, four years ago, of the Holy Father's motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum.

Today is also of special significance to the traditional movement within the Church, because an important meeting is taking place between Bishop Fellay of the SSPX and Cardinal Lavada of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. There is speculation amongst some journalists and Vatican watchers that this meeting could be the start of the resolution of the differences between the SSPX and the Magisterium of the Church. Let us hope that this is the case.

13 September 2011

Please pray for a satisfactory outcome for Bishop Fellay's meeting in Rome today, 14 September 2011 - Feast of the Holy Cross. Please pray that the Holy See may be generous in any offer that it may make to the Society of St Pius X and please pray that in its turn the SSPX will respond generously to any offer that may be made to it. The contribution the Society can make to both the Church and the cause of Tradition will produce greater fruit if its canonical situation is regularised. This does not mean selling out on its principles but, whilst maintaining true to tradition, taking its rightful place within the Church community. Lest any should have any doubts about this let our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, have the last word:

"Can it be completely mistaken to work to break down obstinacy and narrowness, and to make space for what is positive and retrievable for the whole? I myself saw, in the years after 1988, how the return of communities which had been separated from Rome changed their interior attitudes; I saw how returning to the bigger and broader Church enabled them to move beyond one-sided positions and broke down rigidity so that positive energies could emerge for the whole. Can we be totally indifferent about a community which has 491 priests, 215 seminarians, 6 seminaries, 88 schools, 2 university-level institutes, 117 religious brothers, 164 religious sisters and thousands of lay faithful? Should we casually let them drift farther from the Church? I think for example of the 491 priests. We cannot know how mixed their motives may be. All the same, I do not think that they would have chosen the priesthood if, alongside various distorted and unhealthy elements, they did not have a love for Christ and a desire to proclaim him and, with him, the living God. Can we simply exclude them, as representatives of a radical fringe, from our pursuit of reconciliation and unity? What would then become of them?

Certainly, for some time now, and once again on this specific occasion, we have heard from some representatives of that community many unpleasant things – arrogance and presumptuousness, an obsession with one-sided positions, etc. Yet to tell the truth, I must add that I have also received a number of touching testimonials of gratitude which clearly showed an openness of heart. But should not the great Church also allow herself to be generous in the knowledge of her great breadth, in the knowledge of the promise made to her? Should not we, as good educators, also be capable of overlooking various faults and making every effort to open up broader vistas? And should we not admit that some unpleasant things have also emerged in Church circles? At times one gets the impression that our society needs to have at least one group to which no tolerance may be shown; which one can easily attack and hate. And should someone dare to approach them – in this case the Pope – he too loses any right to tolerance; he too can be treated hatefully, without misgiving or restraint."

10 September 2011

Since his appointment to the Church of St Alphonsus in Middlesbrough about three years ago, Fr Charlton has celebrated a Mass in the usus antiquior at his church each Sunday evening at 6pm. Prior to his moving to Middlesbrough, Fr Charlton was the regular celebrant of the 6.30 Sunday evening Mass in York.

News has filtered down that Fr Charlton will be leaving Middlesbrough later this month to be part of a newly formed community of Benedictine monks in France. We wish Fr Charlton and the new community every success.

Some had feared that this move would bring about the end of Latin Masses in Middlesbrough. I am pleased to be able to confirm that the Middlesbrough Sunday evening Masses will continue. The celebrant will be Mgr John Heslin, a retired priest of the Birmingham Archdiocese living in Saltburn. He used to celebrate First Friday Masses at the Church of St Clare in Middlesbrough.